


desire

by sidsknees



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 19:50:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18350534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sidsknees/pseuds/sidsknees
Summary: Alexander Ovechkin is magnetic.Or, Alexander Ovechkin brands himself to be magnetic, wants everyone to see him as magnetic and let themselves be pulled into his orbit. It's a mutual illusion: he wants to suck them in, and everyone always wants to give themselves over to the vacuum.Nicke doesn't not want to be sucked in- but, he wants to make him work for it.





	desire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Catznetsov](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catznetsov/gifts).
  * Inspired by [up against the glass](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12829443) by [Catznetsov](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catznetsov/pseuds/Catznetsov). 



Alexander Ovechkin is magnetic.

 

Or, Alexander Ovechkin brands himself to _be_ magnetic, wants everyone to see him as magnetic and let themselves be pulled into his orbit. It's a mutual illusion: he wants to suck them in, and everyone always wants to give themselves over to the vacuum.

 

Nicke doesn't _not_ want to be sucked in- but, he wants to make him _work_ for it.

 

Everything, everyone comes easy Alexander Ovechkin- or, Alex likes to make it seem like it does. He works hard, harder than most anyone Nicke's ever met, but he somehow wants to make people walk the illusion that everything he’s ever achieved has just been a smile and a stick bend, boom, bang, done. It’s infuriating, really, that everyone ends to Alex’s will so easy, and that’s _exactly_ why he can never, never, _never_ let himself be easy, too.

 

So, when Alex smiles at him, all white teeth and _come hither_ , Nicke only gives a flash of teeth, and then lets his neutral face slip back and tries not to watch Alex’s confusion from the corner of his eye. When Alex leans a bit close to him and babbles as they walk back to the hotel from whatever club, bar, something they’d hung out in after a win in an unfamiliar town, Nicke lets himself laugh, but he doesn’t let himself take the implied _come back with me_ Alex sends his way, lingering in the doorway of his hotel room for just a few seconds too long.

 

He says good night, and goes to sleep on his own. And, it’s cold, and he’d _much_ prefer a bet with Alex _in_ it, but.

 

But, he doesn’t go so easy.

 

 

He _can’t_.

 

Nicke doesn’t have to be around very long before he figures out that everything Alex’s life has to be fast; fast hockey, fast talking, never slowing down. Even in heartbreak,Alex always seems to have the uncanny ability to speed run the process; he’s in love, and then it fizzles out, and he’s _desperately_ sad for a week at most, and then it’s onto the next.

 

Nicke- can’t do that. Doesn’t do that. He’s careful with his heart; or, he’d fucking _thought_ he was before Alexander fucking Ovechkin stepped up on that stage to stutter his name and smile at him like he was the most precious thing in the world. He liked to think things through, consider, take it slow and keep with it. Nicke didn’t let things go easy, and-

 

 

And, if Alex let _him_ go, he wasn’t sure what he would do.

 

That felt dramatic to say, but Nicke wasn’t sure that that didn’t make it true. He thought that love at first sight was bullshit, really- he didn’t _automatically_ fall in love with Alex, that was stupid. It took time- a lot less time than Nicke was used to, but, time all the same. He knew it was happening while it was, too, which made the experience even more terrifying. Every smile, butterfly fluttering in the pit of his stomach, close call where he just almost gave in made it even more clear that he was falling in love with _Alexander fucking Ovechkin_ , self proclaimed Cassanova of the DMV, and it was going to be very hard to pick himself up off the ground after this swan dive blew up in his face.

 

He wasn’t going to let it blow up in his face.

 

He couldn’t. Things were too good in Washington, with the team, with his life, and Alex was too good of a friend to let everything fall apart because the both of them were being stupid about it- because, it wasn’t just Nicke that was wanting. He could see it in Alex, too, all the same things, same signs, except Alex didn’t _care_. He didn’t care that they might fall apart- would probably fall apart- and might ruin everything- would most likely ruin most things. Or, if he did care, he did a _very_ good job at pretending he didn’t.

 

“Could just kiss me, Nicke,” he said, mumbled into the nape of Nicke’s neck late one night, nowhere more special than the back of the team bus after a win. “If you wanted to.”

 

Nicke was silent for a long moment, picking his words carefully. “I do want to.”

 

“Then _kiss me_.” There was a whine to Alex’s voice he’d never admit to having there later, a pout that Nicke didn’t even have to see to hear. “You can. I want you to.”

 

“I know.” Nicke had to grit his teeth, close his eyes, count to ten; he heaved one long sigh, exhaled through the nose. “I just can’t. Not yet.”

 

“Not _yet_?” Alex snorted. “What you waiting for, Nicke? If you want something- want this, you can have it. Have me.”

 

“Just, not yet,” Nicke repeated, already knowing it wasn’t fair. He wasn’t saying “wait for me”, not those exact words, but the meaning was implied and he knew Alex was perceptive enough to pick up on it. Alexander Ovechkin wasn’t dumb.

 

There was a long pause before Alex spoke again- but, he didn’t move from where he had his head pillowed on Nicke’s shoulder, which Nicke took as a good sign. “Alright,” he finally said. “Not yet. When you’re ready.”

 

“Thank you.” Nicke felt like the worst bastard in the world, part of him- the dumb, romantic part- screaming that he was ready _now._ “Won’t be forever. I promise.”

 

“It could be,” Alex said, shrugging. “Don’t care. I’m here.”

 

* * *

 

They’d won the Cup.

 

They’d won, and Nicke was- well, he wasn’t drunk _yet,_ but he was well on his way. Everyone was fucking _losing_ it, warmth radiating from every corner of the locker room and-

 

And Alex was at his side, hadn’t left his side. There weren’t eyes on them, right now, press tapped out and everyone else engrossed in each other.

 

It was _yet_.

 

“Hey,” he said, so quiet he wasn’t sure if Alex could hear him- but, of course he could, head swiveling to face Nicke.

 

Nicke didn’t even give him time to reply before he kissed him, but Alex didn’t seem toneed to be clued in, kissing back like he’d been anticipating it the whole time. It was earth shattering, which made it feel longer than it probably was, and stole the breath from Nicke’s chest that he’d only just caught again. “Come over, later?” Alex asked. “Don’t have to- do anything, but. Spend the night.”

 

“Yes,” Nicke said. “I want that.”

 

And, he _had_ it.

**Author's Note:**

> this is! my first time writing nicke and ovi as a Central Focus (tm) so i hope i did them justice for you!! <3


End file.
